Moon vows unswayed push for peace, innovation, fairness in remaining presidency

 Laying out a vision for the latter half of his presidency, President Moon Jae-in said Monday he will make constant efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula, foster innovative and inclusive growth as well as enhance the level of fairness in South Korea.

He described his 2 1/2 years of presidency so far as a period of “transformation” for the country to overcome the past and move toward a new future.

“The coming 2 1/2 years is a very important period for the people and the country,” he stressed during a weekly meeting with his senior Cheong Wa Dae aides. Over the weekend, Moon marked the halfway point of his single five-year tenure.

He has entered the remainder of his presidency with a host of setbacks, from a slump in economic growth and a stalemate in the Korea peace process to the polarization of local politics and soured Seoul-Tokyo relations.

The president, however, said his peace initiative was not fruitless.

“It has also created a miraculous change in the Korean Peninsula security conditions,” he said. “(We) are facing a grave historic challenge to eliminate the danger of war from the Korean Peninsula and transform (the current situations) into a new order of peace and prosperity through dialogue and diplomacy.”

President Moon Jae-in (2nd from L) speaks at a weekly meeting with his senior Cheong Wa Dae aides at the presidential compound in Seoul on Nov. 11, 2019. (Yonhap)

He admitted that the success of the peace process is not guaranteed yet and that it’s premature to be optimistic.

“It’s clear that there is still a difficult process ahead. But we have no other choice,” Moon said, adding that he won’t give up peace efforts until the dawn of a new Korean Peninsula with peace and prosperity.

Moon also pledged that his government will keep endeavoring to promote innovation, inclusiveness and fairness in the nation until the people actually feel changes.

“If we sowed seeds and those sprouted in the first half of (my) term, we will have to have flowers blossom and bear fruits in the latter half to talk about the success of the Moon Jae-in administration,” he said.